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Western Africa.

EMERGING FROM THE SHADOWS? CHANGING PATTERNS IN EDO
WOMEN�S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

A
PAPER PRESENTED AT THE EDO
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION IN THE AMERICAS�
14TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION, ELIZABETH

NEW
JERSEY

2-4TH September 2005

BY

Irene
Isoken Oronsaye-Salami (PhD)

Associate Professor & Visiting Fulbright Scholar to University
of
California,

Los Angeles.

Abstract:

Nigerian politics
is predominately politics of men, men dominate the political arena, men
formulate the rules of the political game and men define the standards for
evaluation. Political life is based on male norms and values and in some cases
even male lifestyle. Women are marginal to national politics, and more
generally, to the publicand private life of our nation. As a result,
one of the greatest challenges of the Edo woman
today, as with all Nigerian women, is her exclusion from the political space and
her invisibility in political affairs. Considering this invisibility, it is not
surprising that very few women have gained access into the political arena. It
is worth noting at this point that in pre-colonial times some women exerted
political influence and power, leading armies to battle, and engaging in
statecraft. In situations of wars, conflict and extreme oppression, many women
have arisen to �deliver their lands�. These women were unique in their times as
they tried to subvert male hegemony which was dominant in their period. In
recent times, many critics concerned with the
politics of marginalization have challenged the low participation of women and
advised that women or gender friendly political strategies are adopted in order
to boost gender equity in political participation.

This paper
therefore, in exploring the changing patterns of women�s participation in Edo
politics, will attempt to answer questions like: Are women really shadowy
figures on the verge of men�s political arena? Are women invisible in modern
Edo
politics? Were women invisible in pre-colonial Edo
politics? Have they ever had access to or possessed
politicalpower? Has sexism operated as a
bias in the exclusion of the Edo
women from politics? How effective has the mechanism of bringing more women into
government, and their impact on the perceived legitimacy of women in power been?
etc. Answers to these questions will facilitate the resolution of the imbalance
and help reconfigure the political stage in Edo state
and the nation as a whole.

Background:

The drive to
promote women in decision-making position worldwide gathered momentum during the
1980�s and early 1990�s through a series of international conferences. The
climax of it all was at the fourth women�s Conference held in Beijing,
China
in 1995, which called for at least 30 percent representation by women in
national governments. In September 2000, world leaders again at the UN
Millennium Summit in New
York adopted the goal of
gender equity. The political climate in Africa is
fast changing in favour of women. As a result of this development, the number of
women in leadership positions has been on the rise. Corroborating this, the UN
Secretary General, Kofi Annan, stressed that when women participate in
development, the benefits are immediate - families
are healthier, better fed, andbetter off financially.
�And what is true of families is also true of communities and, in the long run,
of whole countries.�

In Africa, the
recent trend of increased democratization has opened up spaces and opportunities
in politics for women, especially in east and southern Africa.
There are more women in South Africa,
Rwanda
and Ugandain politics than in many developed democracies. This significant
achievement owes to explicit affirmative action in political institutions and
processes to favour women�s participation.West Africa
is still grappling with several constraints, which impede her advancement into
the political arena. Rwanda
women now top the world rankings of women in national parliaments, with 49% of
representation compared to a world average of 15.1 percent. With this
development,
Rwanda now
overtake long-time leader, Sweden,
where women constitute 45% of parliamentarians. Women in Rwanda
have achieved a lot politically; they participated effectively in the drafting
of the new constitution, developing guidelines that guaranteed seats for women
candidates. Also, 7 of the top 25 countries of women in parliament are from
Africa.
There are more countries like South Africa,
Uganda,
Seychelles
and Mozambique,
which have long surpassed the 30 per cent minimum threshold in decision-making
for women recommended in the Beijing Platform of Action, in 1995.

So far, in Africa
we�ve had only one woman heading her country, Madam Ruth (headed the interim
�government of Liberia), Agathe Uwilingiymana who fought to end women�s
oppression in her country, became prime minister of Rwanda and was murdered on
the 6th April 1994 by the presidential guard. In Burundi,
Slyvie Kingi was also appointed prime minister in October 1993 just before the
murder of President Melchior Ndadaye by Tutsi troops, she held this postition
for four months. We�ve also had one woman vice-president, Dr Specioza Kazibwe of
Uganda.
Mrs Johnson is making giant strides in her campaign for a presidential seat in
Liberia.

Although Africa
has made this huge progress in women�s political participation in the past few
years, than had been made in the past four decades, rising tenfold to more than
14% in 2003, women are still not adequately represented in local structures in
many countries, except where conscious efforts are made to guarantee a quota for
them. As a result of this under representation and participation in
decision-making at local and national levels, the situation in regional and
international levels is minimal. African women�s participation at regional
organisations such as the African Union is zero percent, as Africa does not have
a female president. African women are further marginalized at international
forum especially in international financial institutions like the World Bank,
IMF, and World Trade Organisation. In spite of the fact that these organisations
take decisions that greatly affect women, yet,
there is no mechanism put in place for women�s participation. The various
countries continue to put forward male representatives who in most cases are the
countries� leaders. As a result African women have continued to bear the
consequences of the policies enforced by these institutions. Women�s
participation in politics, governance and the decision making process can
contribute in redefining policies, placing new items on the agenda which address
women�s specific concerns, values, experiences, and provide new perspective on
mainstream issues.

The progress made
in some of these few countries like, South Africa,
Rwanda, etc., can be attributed to the successes made by women leaders in
ensuring that new national constitutions are gender sensitive and based on
gender equality, and in addition, strict implementation of gender quota. Gender
quota is now being viewed as an important policy measure for boosting women�s
access to decision-making bodies throughout the world. In Africa, over 20
countries have legislated quota and in some cases, political parties have
adopted them voluntarily. In some countries, enforcing legislation is often an
uphill task. Without women�s participation in the judiciary, parliamentary
systems and in mainstream decision-making positions, it will be difficult to
initiate any change for women. Without women�s active participation at all
levels of decision-making in Africa, the goals of equality, development and
peace cannot be achieved. Also, more women representation will help governments
in region to achieve accountability and transparency, which are very crucial to
democracy.

Nigerian Women
and Politics

Although women in
Southern Africa achieved commitment for a one third quota in the eighties (the
lobby has now moved to 50/50 call for parity), West Africa is still very much
behind; however, Nigerian women are taking the lead in pressurising government
to meet up the 30% quota for women. Regardless of the social and political
advances made, women generally continue to be exploited in every society in the
world, in such a way that their social and political advances are met with stiff
resistance. At the side meetings of the Commonwealth People�s Forum held in
Nigeria, government and civil societies were urged to take concrete actions
utilizing opportunities to promote affirmative action for women at all levels of
representation in government. Nigerian women have also requested in addition to
this, that a proportion of jobs in civil service be reserved for them.

In Nigeria, like
in other parts of the world, women are at least half the country�s population of
over 130 million people, yet this numerical strength of women does not
automatically translate to increase in women�s representation in governance or
decision-making position, and increase in the representation of women�s
interests or concern�s in governance. Whereas in South Africa, women are now
pushing for equal representation on the political candidature list, (one woman
for every man) in Nigeria, resistance to women�s participation in
decision-making positions is still very wide spread. Commenting on this Nana
Tankoh of Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA), said: �Affirmative
Action is resisted at community level by traditional and religious leaders.
There is resistance in political parties, where women are not engaged (in the
centre of power) where the lists are prepared.�Men feel
that the entrance of women into the political arena, will steal the political
spotlight from them. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democratic country until there
is visible evidence in practical terms, a radical turn around in the conditions
of women generally and that they have been empowered to have access to all
aspects of governance as equal partners with their male counterpart. By being
excluded from key positions in political party organs, the tradition of women as
housewives whose places are in the kitchen and not the political arena are being
portrayed and perpetuated. If the hallmark of a democratic society is plurality
of expressed opinions and contributions by those living within it, then the
participation of women in leadership positions ought to be valued and encourage,
for democracy will only be democracy, when men and women as equal partners
deliberate upon the national policies and legislations.The
sooner men begin to open up the corridors of power to women the better for our
democratic process. The continued exclusion of women from the decision making
position will slow down the pace of development of the democratic process and
stunt economic growth of the nation because men govern most political
institutions which they use to further their interest and will not promote women
or women�s issues.

When
policy decisions and laws are being made for the benefit of all members of
society, the extent to which the government body is able to carry everybody
along will determine the degree to which its decision will be appropriate and
meet the needs of the entire nation. Proper representation of women and the
inclusion of their perspective into the decision-making process will inevitably
lead to solutions that are viable and satisfy a broader section of the society.
To conceptualise the issues which will affect citizens� lives without taking
into consideration the situations is no longer tenable in the twenty-first
century.Taking into cognizance the gendered perspective and
involving women and men in decision-making process is the hallmark of any
genuine democratic framework. This is why democracy, by definition cannot afford
to be gender blind. It must strive to achieve equality and representation of
women and men in any decision making process. Women need to be present in the
decision-making process to bring about the radical change in structures of
power.

Since
independence in 1960, women�s participation in Nigerian politics has been only
in the shadowy fringes. Yet when it is time for election, women are mobilized to
vote. Women are considered only good for dancing, after which they are given
insignificant gifts like bags of rice, salt, maggi cubes etc.The whole essence of encouraging women to dance is to distract their
attention from power and to keep them perpetually in subordinate position. They
seem to forget that it is a woman�s fundamental right to participate in
governance. Increased participation of women in governance is being threatened
by practises already discarded by other democratic countries. The political
field is very uneven; there is a structural plan to perpetually sideline women
from the political space. Women are marginalized in both elective and political
appointments. Political parties fail to nominate them as candidates and the
electorate, which is greatly influenced by gender stereotypes in the society,
ends up voting for men.Political scientists have
attributed this low participation of women in politics to various factors,
ranging from cultural inhibitions which is perpetuated and reinforced by
patriarchal norms that relegate women to the margin and require them to be seen
and not heard, Cultural views about the woman continue to devalue her dignity
and worth and the society see women as unequal to men. The political playing
field is uneven and not conducive for women�s participation. Women who enter
politics find the political, cultural and social environment often not
women-friendly. Political violence has taken centre stage in Nigerian politics
as many politicians in the country today rely on this strategy for attaining
electoral victory; this scares many women off and presents the political
environment as very hostile. Political brutality are employed to distract
women�s attention from participating, sometimes they are beaten up, their family
members are threatened, their marriages are set up for destruction, and these
strategies scare women from the political race. Women�s limited access to
economic resources has been linked to their political powerlessness. In Nigeria
today, participation in politics involves huge financial investment because it
is assumed that electoral victory amounts to a poverty eradication initiative
for the victor as victory guarantees access to the national treasury for
looting. This therefore has made attaining an elective or appointive position in
government highly competitive and nearly out of reach to women, for women do not
have equal opportunities as men to accumulate wealth and increase their economic
base. Family responsibility has also been seen as one of the main impediment to
women�s participation in politics, most of the family responsibilities fall on
the woman as gender division of labour in our society encourages men to
relinquish all domestic chores to women. This constitutes an obstacle to
political activism.

Other practices
that hinder women�s participation in politics includes nocturnal meetings,
�godfatherism�, name calling, old boys� network, religious beliefs,
institutionalised resistance to gender equity within the apparatus of governance
etc. While the Nigerian government has ratified a number of international
instruments to promote women in politics, none has been domesticated; this in
itself is a major hindrance to participation. Cultural and traditional practices
subjecting women to male dominance have hindered women�s progress in achieving
gender equality in politics. They are confronted with several barriers, like
conflict, intimidation, stereotypes by society, negative image of women involved
in politics and lack of support from the electorate. In Nigeria, women
politicians confront �a masculine model� of politics. In most cases, they lack
the political party support and have no access to quality education and training
to enter politics.

Men have argued
that women naturally are apolitical; this is not true as women in contemporary
times as in the past have been known to do exploits, Margaret Ekpo, Gambo
Sawaba, Funmilayo Ramsome Kuti, Aba and Ibiobio women of 1929 war, etc were very
active politically. The privileging of men by the colonial administration and
the marginalisation of women empowered men to the detriment of women. This move
initiated the exclusion of women from the political space in Nigeria. The
colonial administration simply swept aside previous female political structures
in the society, replacing them with completely male structures and positions.Their masculinist policies gradually eroded the spaces women once
occupied during the pre-colonial era and enabled men to subvert the political
system.

However, we must
not forget the fact that a number of women lack the confidence needed to lead,
they have imbibed the traditional belief that men are born leaders and as such
do not stand a chance against them at the polls, so �why contest?� they ask.The myth that women are their own enemies is often used to discourage
women from political participation. I agree with Obioma Nnaemeka�s explanation
that this lack of support of women for their fellow women is often the result of
institutionalized, hierarchical female spaces that make women victims and
collaborators in patriarchal violence.

A very vital
political weapon, which is working against women, is the lack of interest by the
media in giving female politicians adequate coverage. The media has failed to
project the contributions and potentials of women politicians�. They would
rather portray women as beauticians, fashion designers, movie stars, lovers,
good and bad wives, husband snatchers, witches, diabolical, wicked, fashion
conscious, good teachers and nurses, thereby perpetuating the already existing
stereotypes in the society. On the other hand, women have not come to appreciate
the full importance of media relations. They do not understand that investing in
media coverage is one major tool the men have used to keep themselves ahead of
them. Good media coverage goes a long way to winning elections as large sums of
money. In recent times political scientists have cited sexism as a major
obstacle on the way of women�s political advancement. Studies have shown that
the military administration bred sexism in the political culture of the country.
It was deeply so deeply rooted in the military regime that women-devaluing
attitudes were fostered, in a male dominated, male-oriented military
environment. All these obstacles work together to enhance the invisibility of
women in the political �centre stage.

The fourth
Republic, which began in 1999 ushered in an era of little respite for those who
had prayed, lobbied, canvassed for better political empowerment for women. Women
participated more actively at the level of party politics. Only a small
percentage of them contested for elective posts in the general elections of
1999. With all the cries for enforcing Affirmative Action, only less than five
per cent of the elective positions at the federal, state, and local government
levels were occupied by women between 1999 and 2003. In the power structure, the
higher the pyramid of power, the lower the participation of women. President
Olusegun Obasanjo tried to correct this by appointing during his first tenure 9
women as ministers and advisers out of a total of 44. States like Ogun and few
others did not have a single female commissioner in the first lap of the fourth
Republic. Thank goodness, anyway, the same state now has a woman as a
deputy-governor and Speaker of the House of Assembly. Who say miracles do not
happen? Relatively, 2003 brought better deals for women although there was no
remarkable difference. Even when most of the political parties waived the levies
imposed on aspirants for women, the response of female politicians was not so
commensurate with the potential of that opening. Two women contested for the
presidency while two went for vice presidential slot.None
of them was elected.

During a national
television program on the 26th of April 2003, the Vice President,
Alh. Atiku Abubakar, at a PDP victory party at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja;
declared that women voters at the 2003 elections were three times more than men
voters� nation wide. He then promised to compensate the women for their
dedication, commitment and selfless efforts, with increased representation in
governance. President Obasanjo also reiterated this appreciation and promise
when he made his own speech. Well this promise of increase representation got
Nigerian women 9 portfolios at the executive council. What if they had not out
numbered the male voters?This na monkey deywork,
bamboo dey chop.However, the present administration
needs to be commended for their improvement on therecord set by past military and civilian administrations. It is worth
noting especially at the federal level, that the government of President
Olusegun Obasanjo has demonstrated more confidence in Nigerian women than his
predecessors.Today, the two ministers for finance are
women, education, solid minerals, are also manned (or may I say �womanned�) by
very competent and reputable women.The present federal
cabinet is made up of 7 female ministers and ministers of state. There are more
in the life of this present administration who are in the process of proving
(that is if it is necessary to do so) that women are not only meant for the
kitchen. Even with all these signs of comparative improvement, it is important
to state here that Nigeria is still far away from the target (of giving women
their due).

Women and
Political Participation in Edo State

In Edo state, the
political arena is not radically different from the other parts of the country.
There is political imbalance in favour of men; women are rendered nearly
invisible and excluded from the political spaces, which is often regarded as the
male preserve. Male politicians characterise politics as patriarchal and
excessively masculinistist. Their ideological aim is to perpetuate and
legitimise patriarchy in the political system. Women�s participation is
peripheralised. Unfortunately, Edo politicians have little regard for the
position of women in the state distribution of power. The political scene is
characterised by inadequate representation of women. Irrespective of women�s
mobilization of voters, the contributions of women are often trivialised.

It
is pertinent to note here that this paucity of female politicians and their
participation in the decision making process is not a heritage of the past, for
our foremothers were known to have accomplished great things; displayed
exceptional skill and talent; stood up against oppression, injustice and
contributed much to the society. They had difficult challenges, which they
surmounted and were still able to participate. In this regard we remember the
likes of Emotan of Benin who single-handedly raised an army and overthrew the
illegal regime of Oba Uwaifiokun, and helped to install Oba Ewuare the Great,
one of the most outstanding obas of ancient Benin Kingdom. Queen Idia, the first
Iyoba (Queen mother) of Benin, led the army of ancient Benin
Kingdom to the Idah war.Through her ingenuity, Benin
defeated the Attah of Igala.Queen Iden, though she did not
go to the war front, procured the throne of Benin with her blood by choosing to
die so her husband Oba Ewuapke would recover his lost glory as a king. Hers was
politics of love. The reign of Queen Ubi is shrouded in mystery till this day.
Many feminist historians have cause to believe that Ubi�s purported offence of
bed-wetting is too trivial to warrant the punishment she was served. They are of
the opinion that she probably challenged the political structure of her time. On
the other hand, Queen Ewere�s role as a docile and subjugated wife is today
commemorated with a state festival, ugiewere. It is therefore not
surprising that Ubi�s confrontational disposition was strongly resisted and
condemned. Princess Edelayo, daughter of Oba Ewuare the Great and the sister of
Olua, was known to have been a very powerful and rich woman. She was as powerful
as any Oba on the throne, and was about to be crowned king when the Kingmakers
for the some flimsy excuse interrupted her ascension.
Princess Edelayo, daughter of Oba Ozolua was crowned Edaiken (heir apparent to
the throne) when her younger brother refused to become king, but was later
divested due to mere feminine indisposition. As a result of this, the Uzamas
(king makers) and Eghaevbo (executive council) enacted a law permanently
prohibiting women form becoming king in Ancient Benin Kingdom.

Others like Oba
Ozolua daughters, Adedeku and Imagbogho were very rich and powerful. Princess
Imagbogho is known to have assisted her father in his battle against Elekidi of
Ogbelaka. Ikpoghodu and Uwahen, daughters of Oba Obanosa, were known to be very
powerful and influential too. Aghayubini, daughter of Oba Osemwende was renowned
for her vast resources; she is remembered in oral history for the great help she
rendered her brother Oba Adolor to gain the throne of Benin. Princess
Evbakhavbokun, the eldest daughter of Oba Ovonramwen was also known to have been
very rich and influential.In the Ogiso�s dynasty, there
are records to show that some women were rulers; however, due to feminine
indisposition too, and palace intrigues perpetuated by the king makers, the
reign of female Ogiso�s came to an abrupt end. The reign of women was so
abhorred that when it was rumoured that prince Odogbo, the only son of Oba
Ehengbuda was a girl because he was very handsome, with feminine features, the
father had to make him walk naked in the company of his attendants, from Uselu
to Benin City to dispel the rumour. Another influential woman in pre-colonial
Benin included Eyowo the wife of Elekidi of Ogbelaka, who fought gallantly
beside her husband in their battle against the Oba. After the fall of her
husband Oba Ozolua married her and later killed her because he was scared that
she might revolt against him in future.

Since the
creation of Edo State in 1991, female representation has been very minimal,
below the 30% affirmative action. The political road for women has been a very
rough and bumpy one. Gender is not mainstreamed into the political process.
Contrary to the views some people may hold, most women who have achieved
greatness or recognition have not done so principally on the platter of
compromise. History records that like her male counterpart, and I dare say more
than them in many cases, they have to go through rigours. They have had to swim
against the tide of prejudice and pride of the opposite sex to win laurels and
positions. This brings to my mind the deeds of an illustrious daughter of Edo
state, Franka Afebgua, the first woman senator in Nigeria was easily a star to
watch and an envy in the Second Republic Nigeria. At a time when it was most
unfashionable for women to engage in serious politics, she looked beyond her
salons and beauty parlours in Lagos, Kaduna and Kano and went into the men�s
arena with all she had.

Since then other
women in Edo state have participated and held decision-making positions and
these include, commissioners in the military and civilian administrations: Mrs
Margaret Unukegwo, Prof Agnes E Uduebo commissioner of Education, Mrs Helen
Lola- Ebueku Ministry of Information (1998-1999), Mrs Tolu Eboreme. The present
administration in April 2000 -2005 brought in three women, Mrs Haberta
Okonofua-Ayu, Women Affairs & Social Development, and Mrs Medinatu Kadiri, both
served as commissioners in the first tenure of the present administration, Mrs
Lucy Omagbon, Lands and Housing and later Education, the longest serving female
member of Edo state Executive Council, she survived various cabinet shake-ups.
She was replaced recently. Others are Barr. Siiawu Inu-Umoru Momoh, Women
Affairs and Social Development, Lady Omorede Osifo Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mrs
Elizabeth Edemwandagbon, Education, Mrs Florence Igbinigie-Erabor. Some female
permanent Secretaries who served in the past include, Mrs Winifred Anyanru
Onyewu, Justice Gladys Kpenikpe Olotu, Ministry of Justice, was later appointed
a federal High Court judge, Mrs Ikponmwonba, Ministry of Justice. The Honorable
Chief judge of Edo State Justice Constance Momoh, has recently retired and
Justice Oni-Okpako (Mrs) has taken over from her. Dr Jacinta Afe was the Head of
service at a time in this administration.

In the
legislative arm, the trend of under representation of women still prevail, Mrs
Esohe Jacobs is a two time state legislator in the State House of Assembly. She
is easily the vocal and visible member of the House since 1999; she sponsored a
bill against female genital mutilation. She shares two-time membership profile
of the House with Hon. Elizabeth Ighodaro. Grace Bazuaye, the People Democratic
Party woman leader in Edo State, Mrs Rose Alli-Zuberu have also graced the list
of women who have seized various opportunities to participate in governance.

Hon. DaisyAbieyuwa Ehanire-Danjuma is one of the three female senators in the upper
house and she has become a trail blazer in her efforts to empower Nigerian
women. Ifueko Omoigui, Honourable Chairperson of the Federal Inland Revenue
Service (FIRS) is redefining fiscal administration in Abuja. Few weeks ago an
Edo woman in the person of Haberta Okonofua-Ayu was elected as the PDP National
Woman Leader, an enormous task I must say, and the highest position for women
within the party framework. With her wealth of experience of having being the
wife of a leading Nigerian politician, the daughter of a political leader in Edo
State, her educational background as a sociologist and a political scientist,
her experience as a one time commissioner of Women Affairs and Social
Development in Edo State, no doubt Haberta Okonfua-Ayu is set to restore
political dignity to womanhood both in Nigeria and Edo state.

With this new
development, Edo women are gradually invading political spaces hither-to
reserved for and dominated by men. The recent visibility of female politicians
is gradually subverting these exclusionary and marginalizing practices, for
those politician who are completely dismissive are being challenged by those who
value the centrality of women in decision-making position and the call by women
for meaningful participation. They are now bringing new angles and insights to
politics, raising their voices against what they consider politics of exclusion
and increasingly dismantling the male codes inscribed in Edo politics as they
rise up to challenge and reconstruct the political system by positioning
themselves in the political spaces. The attitude of men that women are intruding
into their party is being challenged.However, it is
important to note that their brand of politics does not in anyway pose any
threat to men as it advocates complimentarity. No single gender can make any
enduring progress without the help of the other. There is need for collaborative
work between them.

Conclusion &
Strategies for Maximizing Women� Political Participation

Conclusion:

No
doubt sexism has operated as a bias of exclusion in Edo state political arena.
At this stage, it is important that all women begin to reorganise their lives
with the political power about their governance in their own hands. According to
Ada Azodo, it is only by assuming agency for their plight that a people can
create their own subjectivity out of objectification by cruel institutions. It
is now imperative that women should move from the margin to reconfigure the
political centre stage. Edo women now need to fight to change the status quo
through activism, engagement in the issues of the moment by becoming involved
and negotiating with the men who must be persuaded to give up some of their
privileges and power for men are yet to capture fully, the essence of women�s
participatory right. Since women form a substantial portion of Edo state�s
population, excluding them would rob the country of fresh ideas and inputs in
governance, thus, posing a significant threat to democracy.

Although many
have called on national organizations to take responsibility within their own
organisation to systematically promote women�s participation, from the bottom
up, some have continued to insist that the main responsibility falls on women
themselves, claiming that in any society and in situation it is those most
affected who must bring about change. �Those who are privileged benefit from a
system that marginalises others. It is up to us, the women.� At a workshop held
to sensitize female politicians in Lagos, Nigeria, a participant, Chief (Mrs)
Akande, was quoted as saying, �Politics is where power is and that is where
women must be. Nothing will change unless and until women have the necessary
number to make the difference�! This is so very true. Edo state is wasting
precious resources today as she abandon thousands of women, talented women who
are ready to use their professional expertise in public life; but are
dramatically under represented in positions of political leadership in every
sphere in the state. Political parties-the gateways to political offices � are
keys to advancing women�s full participation in the political process. It is not
enough for parties to establish women�s wings or place women at the bottom end
of party lists; they must develop real avenues for women�s leadership roles. We
must all agree that women have been colonized politically for too long. The
excuses that are made for their exclusion are baseless. They are not strong
enough to deny a person of her right to leadership. We must be sensitive to
global political moves for we live in an ever-changing world. It will not wait
for us, it is moving on. Until we are willing to change we cannot expect
results. So Edo state needs to position herself for a positive change so that we
will continue to remain relevant.

Strategies:

1. Gender quota
is now increasingly been viewed as an important policy measure for boosting
women�s access to political positions throughout the world. In Africa over 20
countries have legislated quota system as an instrument to creating
opportunities for women in decision-making positions. UNIFEM has noted that
increasing women�s share of seats in the parliament alone is not a solution; it
does not guarantee that they will make decisions that benefit the majority of
women. �It can only level the playing field on which women battle for equality.�
In Nigeria, many women activist are of the opinion that implementing quota may
constitute a problem. While introducing quotas provide a means of addressing the
gender imbalance in decision making, the practice often lacks support from
important political actors or meets opposition in societies like Edo state that
have strong patriarchal traditions. Those opposed to quota system say they
discriminate against men. Many gender activists also argue that quotas may
constitute a �glass ceiling� beyond which women cannot go unless they engage in
additional struggle. Others contend that women who are in power under such a
system may be undervalued or viewed as not politically deserving. Supporting
this Mata Sy Diallo, former female Vice President of the Senegalese National
Assembly say, that quotas �can only be a transitory solution not a cure for the
makings of a true democracy.� Be it a transitory measure or permanent one, there
is need to raise the awareness of the use gender quotas as an instrument to
increase political representation of women. There should be coordinated,
organized pressure from groups for the creation and implementation of quotas for
women

2. Politicalparties should be motivated to
deliberatelyrecruit women candidate to run for public office

5. Educate journalist on the
importance of women in politics and governance.

6. Work to increase women�s political credibility and by
encouraging partnerships between women party members and party leaders.

7. Intensify voters� outreach to women by using the party
platform to develop messages for and about women.

8.
Advocate for the appointment of more women to cabinet-level positions and other
high government positions.

9. Diversify portfolios of women.

10. Affirmative Action must be pursued as a political
front

11. Knit together the coalition that will build support
for affirmative action.

12. Promote
Affirmative Action through constitutional and legislative reform as an important
strategy in bringing about transformation and creating a critical mass of women
in decision-making positions who can challenge the status quo through access to
male-dominated area.

13. Establish a
legal framework that will make affirmative action work.

14.
Institutionalise sex discrimination law.

14.
Linkages-building among various NGOs, groups working for women�s political
participation and individual women in politics, to develop candidate support and
build constituencies for women and women�s issues.

15.
Women�s wing of political parties can function as lobby groups for women�s full
participation in politics. Women politicians from different parties should also
be encouraged to get together and create a woman�s voice in parliament

16. Networking and the development
of solidarity among women are keys to women�s participation. Women must
endeavour to utilize this at both national and regional level.

18 Review and
challenge electoral processes and discriminatory practices that halt women�s
aspirations to decision-making, including violence against women, to create a
level playing field and ensure that the legal policy framework allows for the
equality between women and men by outlawing oppressive traditional and cultural
practices;

19. Domesticate and implement
international, regional and sub-regional instruments on gender equality
including CEDAW and Beijing Platform of Action to enhance women�s participation
in decision-making at all levels. And established mechanisms and indicators for
monitoring their implementation at international, regional, and national levels

20. Women should
participate effectively in the drafting of national constitutions, developing
guidelines that are gender-friendly, which guarantee seats for women candidates.

21. Teach women
to be assertive in expressing their political ideas and desire.